They are dead men talking, and they know it. Gulping nervously, the prisoners stare into the video camera, spilling tales of intrigue, betrayal and paid espionage on behalf of the United States. Some speak in trembling voices, a glint of fear in their eyes. Others look resigned. All plead for their lives.

These macabre recordings offer a glimpse into a little-seen side of the drone war in Waziristan, a paranoid shadow conflict between militants and a faceless American enemy in which ordinary Pakistanis have often become unwitting victims.

At least 473 noncombatants have been killed by C.I.A.-directed strikes since 2004, according to monitoring groups  a toll frequently highlighted by critics of the drones like the Pakistani politician Imran Khan. Still, strike accuracy seems to be improving: just seven civilian deaths have been confirmed in 2012, down from 68 the previous year, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, which has been critical of the Obama administrations drone campaign.

Although each of myriad militant factions in Waziristan operates its own death squads, by far the most formidable is the Ittehad-e-Mujahedeen Khorasan, a shadowy group that experts consider to be Al Qaedas local counterintelligence wing. Since it emerged in 2009, the group, which is led by Arab and Uzbek militants, has carefully cultivated a sinister image through video theatrics and the ruthless application of violence.

But the videos are also portraits of fear and confusion, infused with poignant, even darkly comic, moments. Curiously, some say they have been hired through Pakistani military intelligence officials who are identified by name, directly contradicting the Pakistan governments official stance that it vehemently opposes the drone strikes. An official with Inter-Services Intelligence, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity, said any suggestion of Pakistani cooperation was hogwash.

Just keep drones from operating on American soil. NEVER should We the People Allow it. Even for a moment.

This is a horrible danger to our freedom and privacy
and one which the fascist Obama regime intends to use against its political opponents.

As far as the enemy in Waziristan, they have earned every strike and more. Collateral damage? Compare it to Genreal Curtis LeMay’s in 1945 Japan. There is no collateral damage
in Waziristan comparitively speaking.

The man who single handedly virtually burned to the ground every Japanese city during WW2 and went on to SAC commander. LeMay’s theory at SAC was if one nuke is needed to take out a target, have redundant strikes available in case the first 2 or 3 fail for whatever reason.

As far as using drones in Pakistan goes, or anywhere else in the mid east, I have no problem with that. What is the moral difference between blasting some group from the sky or individuals wearing suicide vests blowing themselves up inside some civilian target. As far as using them in the US, NO WAY, this government has a history of taking anything to the edges of imagination against its own citizens: drones, cameras, technology. It makes no difference whom the leaders here are, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

“Just keep drones from operating on American soil. NEVER should We the People Allow it. Even for a moment.

“This is a horrible danger to our freedom and privacy
and one which the fascist Obama regime intends to use against its political opponents.”

IMO, this is a lot like the gun control argument. “Drones don’t kill people. People kill people.”

As with guns, drones can be extremely beneficial in the right hands. Think of finding a lost child using a thermal imaging-equipped drone on a cold winter night.

RC and GPS controlled hobby drone enthusiasts are always getting upset when drone-control legislation is discussed intended to shut down their “pursuit of happiness” through piloting drones.

The fact is that drones, like semi-automatic weapons, are already here and getting thicker on the landscape by the day in the hands of both the government and civilians...including terrorists.

Who will commit the first fatal drone strike in the US? Will it be the federal/state/local government, gangsters, terrorists or a jealous lover?

Public awareness and education as to what activities with drones are suspicious and might indicate that the person operating the drone could be a domestic enemy. Investment needs to be made into drone countermeasure can deployed to detect and defeat impending drone attacks on our military and civilians. (see tag, for example)

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